Forma Power issue

[danielz33]

Hi,

I have a kobo forma that only power on when connected to the usb cable. As soon as I unpluggged it, the forma power off. The strange thing is that the battery is said to be 100%.

Any idea ?

PS : I cannot return it, the warranty has expired...

[Quoth]

Battery % charge is often % charged, not capacity.
So a 0.1% capacity battery (i.e. dead) may quickly show 100% charged. It means it's stopped charging.
So likely needs a new cell.

[danielz33]

Originally Posted by Quoth

So likely needs a new cell.

Can it be done easily ? Where can I find one ?

[danielz33]

I've searched battery for kobo forma but find no results. Can it be replaced?

[ReaLx3m]

Yes it can be replaced, open it up and read the model on the battery made of 6 numbers, thats the dimensions of the battery(or measure it if theres no numbers).As an example Aura H20 battery i measured 2.5mm thick, 50mm wide and 85mm long, so if i needed one i would search for 255085 Battery, or if that cant be found i could opt for something smaller.

[danielz33]

Hi,

I have opened the reader. The battery is told to be 158098. But I can't find any on Aliexpress. Do you know other stores ? Google return no results...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by danielz33

Hi,

I have opened the reader. The battery is told to be 158098. But I can't find any on Aliexpress. Do you know other stores ? Google return no results...

Is that the size of the battery? Measure the battery and use the size to try to fond a replacement battery.

[danielz33]

Yes, it matches the size : 1.5mm thick, 80mm wide and 98 long. The thing is, I don't find many battery with the 1.5mm thickness...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by danielz33

Yes, it matches the size : 1.5mm thick, 80mm wide and 98 long. The thing is, I don't find many battery with the 1.5mm thickness...

What other numbers are on the battery?

[danielz33]

On the battery :

PR-158098N 3.7V
20070205 (the fabrication date I suppose, quite old if that so...)
963691 721 3001 042 (serial number ?)
1200mAh 4.44Wh

[Semwize]

Originally Posted by danielz33

PR-158098N 3.7V

On Libra, the same battery.



I think you will not find the original, you need to choose an analog in size.

[danielz33]

It seems that the Kobo Aura One battery can fit.
I found one here : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3295...4ccb3e5fab7Wqb

I made the order. I will update this post as soon as I get it.

[ReaLx3m]

Originally Posted by danielz33

It seems that the Kobo Aura One battery can fit.
I found one here : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3295...4ccb3e5fab7Wqb

I made the order. I will update this post as soon as I get it.

length/width of aura one battery are same, but thickness of the one i have is around 2.5mm(even though its marked as 1.5mm). 3.5mm thick doesnt fit(tried)
So if theyre really interchangeable you might be able to get away with 2.5mm thick one, assuming kobo left 1mm leeway for the thickness. The one you ordered should be 0.7mm thick judging by the number in front, but as we see in my example with aura one , might be bit thicker.

Edit:
BTW word of caution, be careful when opening your forma. On the aura one which uses same hzo waterproofing as forma, there were glue blobs over the flex cables and there was one glued stuck to the cover, same could happen with your forma.So peak under the hood to make sure nothing is on the cover before you take it all the way.

Previous owner managed to rip the flex cable out of the socket due to this and did some luckily minor damage to it, but it can be bad. Also dont use sharp objects to remove the glue from the cover, as another mistake that was made on the aura i now have, is that because of the position of it, the flex cable that was glued to the cover was punctured with i assume sharp object, or maybe it cracked when being ripped off together with the cover but i doubt this. So use credit card or a plectrum for glue removal.

Edit2: Ok, just remembered that you already opened your forma, so im bit late with the warning . Either way good to have it here as a cautionary tale for someone else.

[JSWolf]

Is it possible to use a 1500mAh battery instead of a 1200mAh battery?

[ReaLx3m]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is it possible to use a 1500mAh battery instead of a 1200mAh battery?

Probably, if you find one with the right dimensions.
Btw, just rechecked the old original battery of the aura one and its 178098, and also rechecked the thickness with a caliper. At its thickest point its 2.5mm and at thinest its 1.7, so it made me rethink and not quite sure what to make of it. Maybe there is actually space for a 2.5mm battery in the aura one, or might be this one has swollen a bit as it is a dead one.
Imo best way to check whats the max thickness you can use on your reader is to get some hard material with the thickness you want to test, and put it in the place of the battery, and see if the cover can close freely with no ressistance.

At the moment im using a 3.5mm thick one(358098) with 3000Mah capacity, but without the back cover, and a reader case serving as the back. Not an ideal solution and i wouldnt feel comfortable taking it on the go and transport it frequently inside a bag. But will serve great as a dedicated nightstand reader.